Heretofore electrical actuators employed in locking the tailgate of trucks have been mounted in such a manner, that the linear motion of the internal rack and pinion mechanism is directly coupled to the sliding motion of the locking bolt. The locking bolt can be easily pushed back by hand once the power to the actuator is switched off since the pinion of the motor offers little resistance to movement of the rack.
As a result, one limitation of existing power locks is that they can be defeated easily by reaching through the gap between the plastic trim piece and the tailgate handle and pushing the locking bolt out of the way by hand or using a tool such as a common screw driver.
The need exists, therefore, for a tamper proof power lock